


She Waited in Dreamland

by InfernalPume



Category: Star vs. The Forces Of Evil
Genre: Gen, Punk Rock, Swearing, because Stel's here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-06 23:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11046858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfernalPume/pseuds/InfernalPume
Summary: Companion fic to "See You in Dreamland", what Stel was up to while away.





	She Waited in Dreamland

“I still don’t know why its gotta be like this,” Stel said.

 

Canopy’s gaze rose from filing her nails, then shifted nervously to Glacia who only chuckled and shrugged.

 

“Battle gods baby, who knew?”

 

Her Serine Highness Princess Estella Lucitor, Firstborn of King Tom and his Queen Marco, uttered a filthy word and spat over the side of the wagon.

 

“Yeah, _you_ knew, and I’ve been listening to your bull at every turn, you said you’d help me. Mom and Dad-“

 

“Will naturally forgive you once they realize your absence was essential to claiming your rightful place on the throne,” Glacia finished in a low whisper, “I’m sure they are just as eager to see their lineage secure, unless you’ve changed your opinion on your aunt.”

 

Stel grit her teeth at this, fully aware of the mewman commoners that rode alongside them on this public coach. For all that Glacia insisted that they needed to lay low, she sure loved to gab about Interdimensional politics like it was nothing.

 

“No. I haven’t.” Stel growled.

 

“Then surely being _grounded_ is a small price to pay!” Terra piped up, only further sullying Stel’s mood.

 

But Terra was right, really. Stel didn’t know why she still argued. It wasn’t as if she didn’t follow the mewman trio’s orders. When Canopy had subjected her to magic lessons, Stel had done everything in her ability to learn. When Terra had gone through all of Stel’s clothes and ripped up the ones that were ‘lame’, she held her tongue. And now, when Glacia had commanded her to leave her family on Jace’s birthday, Stel hadn’t hesitated for a moment. But now that she was here, a damp wagon with nothing but a stinking tartan hood to hide her identity, the weight of what she had done crashed over her shoulders. What if this didn’t work? What if she had denounced her family for nothing? Stel wanted to be able to point the blame at _someone_ if she went home empty handed.

 

But that wouldn’t do, would it?

 

Ever since Glacia had agreed to tutor Stel in changeling magic, Stel had taken her birthright a lot more seriously. All her life the crown had been a source of unfathomable unfairness to Stel. By all rights it _should_ be hers, was _supposed_ to be hers. The demonic royal family had always taken in new beings to invigorate the magical bloodline, or create new and twisted hybrids to ensure chaos in the pits of hell, no one had batted an eye at Stel’s mother or even cared much when they announced they had decided to adopt. But then Stel’s aunt’s made the case that, while the court encouraged a human Queen and a royal family of only half demons, a full blooded mewman and a common grub at that was a bit much. Not a drop of infernal wickedness ran in Stel’s veins, unlike her father, her siblings, or even the lowliest servants at the palace. Any plans her parents had for her on the throne were dashed when she was only three years old, and because of that Stel never had to be the perfect Crown Princess. But now, Stel had a real shot, so now, it was time to act like a proper heir to the throne.

 

So, as much as Stel would have preferred to spit and curse again, she met the mewman’s eyes, and forced a breath of humility. “Yeah, you’re…totally right.”

 

Surely, Stel had let her irritation show, because there was an air of disappointment that permeated their huddle that had nothing to do with the stench of Mewnie’s slums, but that quickly dispersed with Glacia clearing her throat.

 

“I trust you cut all communications?”

 

“Yes, of course,” Stel said.

 

Despite her best intentions, _that_ was a lie. Stel couldn’t bear to leave Jace without at least wrapping her birthday gift. The dream journal had been a stroke of Stel’s own genius, nights on end up late perfecting the spells needed for such powerful magic. And it wasn’t as if Stel would be calling her sister up like on a mirrorphone, their interactions in Dreamland would only instill a comfort and companionship, never Stel’s actual location. Surely even Terra couldn’t take issue with that right? And even if it _did_ break the rules a little, Stel wasn’t exactly a perfect princess _yet._

 

“Good,” Glacia said, sharing a meaningful glance with Canopy, “Look alive, we’re off at the next stop.”

 

By “next stop,” of course, Glacia only meant that they were going to jump off the cart when they were far enough from the city limits. Public Mewman transit was shit, but even then they wouldn’t wait around in the wilds between villages. Glacia had assured them that their hideout would be safe from monsters, if they moved quickly enough. The wagon’s driver didn’t seem to mind four silly girls running off into the woods, merely shrugged mumbled something about their funeral. Cheery.

 

Once they were lighted on the moss, Stel had to keep herself from lifting her own rucksack. That was Terra’s job. As Glacia was keen to remind, a Princess has minions to do her dirty work. Even a princess in hiding, apparently.

 

Terra mumbled unpleasantries all the way, but Stel didn’t care. Even without the regal act she wasn’t exactly fond of Glacia’s henchgirls, particularly Terra. Sometimes Stel was convinced that half of Terra’s ‘lessons’ were just her trying to feel superior after she was assigned to be Stel’s attendant. For all that Glacia assured Terra it was a noble thing to wait upon a Queen in training, Terra seemed incredibly insulted by it. If Stel asked her for anything the girl would accuse her of being too good for the slums she was likely adopted from. If Stel tried to be nice the girl would mock her, insisting that she didn’t want some pamby Princess’s pity. Canopy told Stel in less then confidence that Terra was just angry that _she_ hadn’t been adopted by a royal family, though that could easily just be her fanning the fires.

 

Part of Stel’s agreement with Glacia was to give the three of them comfortable places in the Demonic Court on the day of her coronation, and even now Canopy was aware that whatever pitiful barony Stel might grant her was nothing to being a Queen’s attendant.

 

So, while Terra bitched under her breath, Canopy held out Stel’s shitty cloak as if it were an ermine cape. All very ridiculous, considering just yesterday Stel had been at her favorite run down movie theater in trip pants and a tanktop stained with pizza grease.

 

Glacia herself said nothing as they trudged through the woods, using her magic to part the particularly thick pits of trees. It wasn’t until they were far from the road that the girls shed their cloaks and shifted into their alternate forms. It had been a full 4 years since Stel’s mewberty transformation, yet she had learned far more about her latent abilities in the last few weeks.

 

Stel leapt into the air with ease, allowing her wings to carry her after the other mewmans. For all she had originated from the same level of squalor as them, her wings suggested a different story. Not only were they twice the size of Terra’s, but also beautiful when light glistened off her tufts of cilia as if they were silver feathers.

 

“Like a phoenix!” Canopy cooed insufferably, “Like a pale blue phoenix!”

 

Again Stel donned a regal expression, which she now dubbed her ‘Princess Smile’, and ignored more of Terra’s irritable grumbling. Even midair they tried to maintain some semblance of an entourage, which Stel pretended to approve of despite never having one of her own for reference.

 

Finally, they lighted down on a balcony further in the wilds, previously hidden by trees branches. With a wave of Glacia’s wrist the magical wards parted, allowing them to step through.

 

Immediately Stel wrinkled her nose. Frills on every piece of covered furniture, doilies on every surface, far too much pink. Did these girls forget that Stel was a Princess of _Hell?_

 

Sometimes the last straw should have been somewhere between forsaking her family and destroying her old possessions, but it was only now that Stel turned around furiously, fists bunched.

 

“Alright,” she growled, “All-fuckin- _right.”_

 

And before Glacia could say anything about language Stel stomped right up close to her.

 

“I did your lessons, I followed your rules, I’m wearing your _dress,”_ she gestured to the girly monstrosity she currently wore, “But this? Nah. Not doing this.”

 

Where Canopy and Terra looked nervously at each other, Glacia didn’t flinch. All she did was look haughtily back up at Stel, as if _determined_ to piss her off.

 

“Throwing a temper tantrum over furnishing isn’t befitting of a-“

 

“Yeah, well what the _fuck_ would you know about being a Princess?” Stel said, jabbing the girl with a finger, “Changeling or _not,_ you don’t know the first thing about me or my people. We don’t _do_ pleasant! We don’t _do_ manners!”

 

That wasn’t entirely true, not since Stel’s mother, anyway, but she wasn’t about to admit that. Old Stel, the _real_ Stel, had been bullied and poked and prodded into submission, and now wanted out.

 

“Look, look at _this shit!”_ Stel marched over to a coffee table that sported a porcelain figure of a baby cherub on a cloud, “A _literal_ fucking angel! In my room!”

 

When Stel spun around she half expected them to pretend cower in fear, like her servants used to out of politeness. Back home, the Crown Princess wasn’t much to fear, but here in Mewni the girls actually took startled steps back. For all that Stel was punk rock, the sight caused her to simmer down.

 

In the following silence no one said anything, before Glacia sighed and shook her head.

 

“Disappointing,” she said with a sigh, “But…not unsalvageable. We’re going to need to do more training.”

 

Stel grit her teeth as Terra perked up. Just what she needed, more demeaning. For a moment it seemed everyone expected her to retort, but Stel bit her tongue. These people were her only shot.

 

“Well, with that _unpleasantness_ out of the way,” Glacia said, turning with meaning to Stel, “Lets turn you into a demon.”


End file.
